Dems Give ObamaCare a Taxpayer-Funded Hollywood Makeover

September 19, 2012

Dems Give ObamaCare a Taxpayer-Funded Hollywood Makeover

Democrats Use Tax Dollars and Backroom Deals With Special Interests to Pay for Ad Campaigns to Sell Their Failed and Unpopular Agenda

A report out this week indicates that California Democrats tasked with setting up ObamaCare in the state are using taxpayer dollars to give ObamaCare a Hollywood makeover.
It’s not the first time the Democrats have used taxpayer dollars to pay for political ads—they did the same to sell their failed stimulus. The Obama administration even made backroom deals with special interests to pay for ads touting ObamaCare.
Despite the Democrats’ best efforts, their government healthcare takeover and failed economic agenda remain massively unpopular.

A report out this week indicates that California Democrats tasked with setting up ObamaCare in the state are using taxpayer dollars to give ObamaCare a Hollywood makeover:

CALIFORNIA’S OBAMACARE EXCHANGE “HAS POURED SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES [$900,000] INTO A DETAILED MARKETING PLAN” FOR OBAMACARE: “Realizing that much of the battle will be in the public relations realm, the exchange has poured significant resources into a detailed marketing plan — developed not by state health bureaucrats but by the global marketing powerhouse Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, which has an initial $900,000 contract with the exchange. The Ogilvy plan includes ideas for reaching an uninsured population that speaks dozens of languages and is scattered through 11 media markets: advertising on coffee cup sleeves at community colleges to reach adult students, for example, and at professional soccer matches to reach young Hispanic men.” (Abby Goodnough, “California Tries to Guide the Way on Health Law,” The New York Times, 9/14/2012)

“HOLLYWOOD… WILL BE TAPPED” TO SELL OBAMACARE: (Abby Goodnough, “California Tries to Guide the Way on Health Law,” The New York Times, 9/14/2012)

DEMOCRATS TRY TO GET A PLUG FOR OBAMACARE ON “MODERN FAMILY,” “GREY’S ANATOMY” AND “UNIVISION TELENOVELAS”: “And Hollywood, an industry whose major players have been supportive of President Obama and his agenda, will be tapped. Plans are being discussed to pitch a reality television show about ‘the trials and tribulations of families living without medical coverage,’ according to the Ogilvy plan. The exchange will also seek to have prime-time television shows, like ‘Modern Family,’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and Univision telenovelas, weave the health care law into their plots.” (Abby Goodnough, “California Tries to Guide the Way on Health Law,” The New York Times, 9/14/2012)

CALIFORNIA OBAMACARE EXCHANGE FUNDING HOLLYWOOD IS FUNDED BY TAXPAYERS: “The exchange itself has so far been financed by three grants, worth $237 million, from the federal government. Most of the money is committed to consultants, including Accenture, which has a $327 million contract to build and support the initial operation of the enrollment portal.” (Abby Goodnough, “California Tries to Guide the Way on Health Law,” The New York Times, 9/14/2012)

It’s not the first time the Democrats have used taxpayer dollars to pay for political ads—they did the same to sell their failed stimulus. The Obama administration even made backroom deals with special interests to pay for ads touting ObamaCare:

STIMULUS FUNDS WENT TO PAY FOR PRO-OBAMA ADS:

“LABOR DEPARTMENT SPENT STIMULUS FUNDS FOR ADS DURING OLBERMANN, MADDOW SHOWS”:(Jim McElhatton, “Labor Department Spent Stimulus Funds for Ads During Olbermann, Maddow Shows,” The Washington Times, 8/21/2012)

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS PAID OUT TO “RUN MORE THAN 100 ADS TOUTING THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION’S ‘GREEN TRAINING’ JOB EFFORTS”: (Jim McElhatton, “Labor Department Spent Stimulus Funds for Ads During Olbermann, Maddow Shows,” The Washington Times, 8/21/2012)

ADS AIRED FOR TWO MONTHS: “The firm ultimately negotiated ad buys for ‘two approved spots’ airing 14 times per week for two months on ‘Countdown With Keith Olbermann’ and ‘The Rachel Maddow Show,’ according to a project report, which listed the number zero under a section of the report asking how many jobs had been created through the stimulus contract.” (Jim McElhatton, “Labor Department Spent Stimulus Funds for Ads During Olbermann, Maddow Shows,” The Washington Times, 8/21/2012)

ZERO JOBS WERE CREATED: (Jim McElhatton, “Labor Department Spent Stimulus Funds for Ads During Olbermann, Maddow Shows,” The Washington Times, 8/21/2012)

OBAMA LAST YEAR: “SHOVEL READY WAS NOT AS… UH… SHOVEL-READY AS WE EXPECTED”: “Obama smiled and interjected, ‘Shovel-ready was not as … uh .. shovel-ready as we expected.’ The Council, led by GE’s Jeffrey Immelt, erupted in laughter.” (“Obama Jokes at Jobs Council: “Shovel-Ready Was Not as Shovel-Ready as We Expected,” Fox News, 6/13/2011)

DEMOCRATS CUT A BACKROOM DEAL WITH SPECIAL INTERESTS TO PAY FOR OBAMACARE ADS:

SPECIAL INTERESTS GOT A PAY DAY IN EXCHANGE FOR SPENDING MILLIONS TO PROMOTE OBAMACARE: “In a June 2009 email, President Obama’s point person on health care promised the pharmaceutical industry it would be protected against efforts to allow cheap drugs to be re-imported from Canada, because drug lobbyists had been ‘constructive’ in their secret negotiations with White House officials. … As part of the final deal, PhRMA agreed to support health care legislation, spend millions on ads promoting it, and agree to $80 billion in savings and taxes to help finance the bill.” (Phillip Klein, “Emails Reveal Secret Obamacare Deal with Drug Cos,” The Washington Examiner, 5/31/2012)

QUID PRO QUO, CHICAGO-STYLE: “Drugmakers led by Pfizer (PFE) (PFE) Inc. agreed to run a ‘very significant public campaign’ bankrolling political support for the 2010 health-care law, including TV ads, while the Obama administration promised to block provisions opposed by drugmakers, documents released by Republicans show.” (Drew Armstrong, “Drugmakers Vowed to Campaign for Health Law, Memos Show,” Bloomberg, 5/31/2012)

DRUG COMPANIES GOT A LAW THAT PROVIDED THEM “MILLIONS OF NEW CUSTOMERS”: (Phillip Klein, “Emails Reveal Secret Obamacare Deal with Drug Cos,”The Washington Examiner, 5/31/2012)

PhRMA LOBBYIST: OBAMA “KNOWS PERSONALLY ABOUT” BACKROOM DEAL TO TRADE POLICY FOR PAID ADS: “[T]he Pres’s words are harmless. He knows personally about our deal and is pushing no agenda.” (Footnote 21, House Energy and Commerce Committee, 6/8/2012)

WHITE HOUSE GAVE AARP A LIST OF 25 HOUSE DEMOCRATS TO THANK WITH AD BUYS FOR SUPPORTING OBAMACARE: “Messina also forwarded the AARP a list of ‘top 25 targets list from house leadership’ that were ‘to get thanked with ads after the vote.’ ” (Energy and Commerce Staff, “Investigation Update: Closed-Door ObamaCare Negotiations,” House Energy and Commerce Committee, 6/8/2012)

WSJ: OBAMACARE DEALS SHOW “CRONY CAPITALISM”: (Editorial, “ObamaCare’s Secret History,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/11/2012)

Despite the Democrats’ best efforts, their government healthcare takeover and failed economic agenda remain massively unpopular:

GALLUP: “MAJORITY IN U.S. STILL THINK GOVERNMENT DOING TOO MUCH”: “A majority of Americans (54%) continue to believe the government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses, although that is down from the record high of 61% earlier this summer. About four in 10 Americans (39%) say the government should do more to solve the nation’s problems.” (Frank Newport, “Majority in U.S. Still Say Government Doing Too Much,” Gallup, 9/17/2012)

53% FAVOR OBAMACARE REPEAL, JUST 43% OPPOSE: (“Health Care Law,” Rasmussen Reports, 9/17/2012)

50% DISAPPROVE OF OBAMACARE, JUST 42% APPROVE: (The New York Times/CBS Poll, 9/8-12/2012)

ABC/WAPOST: 71% GIVE OBAMA “A LOT” OR “SOME” BLAME FOR THE ECONOMY: (“Obama, Romney Run Close Among Likely Voters After Conventions,” The Washington Post, 9/7-9/2012)

53% “NOT CONFIDENT” ECONOMY WOULD RECOVER IN A SECOND OBAMA TERM: (“Obama, Romney Run Close Among Likely Voters After Conventions,” The Washington Post, 9/7-9/2012)

CBS/NYT: 51% OF LIKELY VOTERS DISAPPROVE OF OBAMA ON ECONOMY, JUST 43% APPROVE: (The New York Times/CBS Poll, 9/8-12/2012)

NBC/WSJ: 55% OF VOTERS THINK WE’RE ON THE WRONG TRACK:(NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey, 9/12-16/2012)

OBAMA OMITTED DISCUSSING HIS POLITICALLY TOXIC STIMULUS AND GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE TAKEOVER IN CONVENTION SPEECH:

POLITICO: “OBAMA DNC SPEECH ALL BUT IGNORES OBAMACARE”:(Joanne Kenen, “Obama DNC Speech All But Ignores ObamaCare,” Politico, 9/6/2012)

ZERO MENTIONS OF “OBAMACARE,” “AFFORDABLE CARE ACT,” “HEALTH CARE REFORM” OR “HEALTHCARE LAW” IN OBAMA CONVENTION SPEECH: (“Remarks by the President at the Democratic National Convention,” The White House, 9/7/2012)

ZERO MENTIONS OF “STIMULUS” OR “RECOVERY ACT”: (“Remarks by the President at the Democratic National Convention,” The White House, 9/7/2012)

ZERO MENTIONS OF OBAMACARE OR STIMULUS IN BIDEN SPEECH EITHER: (“Remarks by the Vice President at the Democratic National Convention,” The White House, 9/6/2012)

Dems Give ObamaCare a Taxpayer-Funded Hollywood Makeover http://ow.ly/dQ1rC#iwantrepeal